“……What? Frost magic?”
“What do you mean, Setanta?”
Rian and Aileen looked at me in confusion.
“Setanta, why all of a sudden……?”
“It has to be frost magic. Make it extremely cold!”
Yes.
Something had been bothering me from the beginning.
Why would a boss with an established standard strategy suddenly have a gimmick that completely nullified that strategy?
That itself was strange.
Click, click, click!
The blue spider began approaching me, its legs rising and falling in turn.
With each step it took, the thickening cold chilled me deep in my lungs.
‘There are monsters that become most active within a certain temperature range.’
What if the preferred temperature of that monster, which had evolved into a frost-type variant, was somewhere between refrigerator temperature and normal room temperature?
And what if it still retained the characteristics of an ectothermic creature?
[Rian offers a sacrifice to cast a spell!]
[【Frost Storm】 is cast centered on the target!]
CRRRRK—
Frost rapidly began forming across the giant spider’s body.
Ice, frost, and icicles spread one after another over its eight legs and massive body.
“Setanta, I used frost-type magic on that spider just as you asked……!”
Rian shouted in disbelief as blood streamed from his nose.
“It really slowed down……! Setanta, how in the world did you……?”
The giant blue spider’s movements were noticeably more sluggish than before.
……BOOM!
It even staggered before its eight legs failed to support its weight, sending it crashing to the floor.
[TIP – You can inflict critical damage on a boss while it is in a groggy state!]
‘So this really was the answer.’
SHING—
I drew the longsword at my waist.
It was time to finish this.
“Ah! I understand now, Setanta! How embarrassing. I overlooked the most basic principle……!”
Rian’s sparkling eyes turned toward me.
“Ectothermic creatures stop moving when their bodies become too hot, but they also become unable to move when they become too cold……!”
Exactly.
That was the answer.
Ectothermic creatures stopped moving if they became too hot, but they also stopped if they became too cold.
‘And the brown spider from the original game was a creature whose body temperature rose easily, so the standard strategy was built around that.’
In theory, frost magic could also put that one into a groggy state.
But early in the game, it was difficult to recruit a Mage capable of using frost magic at that level.
On top of that, every time the spider rampaged, its body temperature rose rapidly enough to counteract the cold……
So it was simply an inefficient method that no one bothered to use.
……CLANG!
But perhaps because the spider’s outer shell had frozen solid and become even harder, Aileen’s Ironwood Sword bounced away when she rushed forward and struck it with all her strength.
“My, it seems my attack cannot penetrate it.”
“Let me try.”
I strode into the center of the raging cold.
The spider’s frost-covered head was visible before me, so blue that it had taken on a cobalt hue.
There was not even a scratch where Aileen had struck it with her Ironwood Sword.
‘Aileen is not exactly a hero with low Strength. Yet her attack did absolutely nothing?’
……Had freezing solid made it even tougher?
If so, among heroes around this level, Setanta—meaning me—was probably the only one capable of damaging it at all.
Well, there was technically one useless hero whose only virtue was absurd physical strength.
But he was unconscious because of his Achilles tendon injury, so he did not count.
In any case.
This had become something only I could do.
SWISH.
I gripped the Hero’s Longsword and stared at the blade.
It was covered in tiny chips and looked ready to snap at any moment.
『Setanta, you actually managed to stun the boss!』
『But what will you do now? If you swing that longsword as it is, the blade will snap in a single strike!』
SQUEAK, SQUEAK!
At some point, Charles had popped his head out of the pouch and started talking to me.
『The longsword you stole from me is already on the verge of breaking!』
『Hahaha! Yes, now you will be left without a weapon and trampled to death by that spider!』
『The sins of your previous life, when you betrayed me and my companions and destroyed the Empire……! Wash them away with your death!』
『Die! Die! Just die! And atone for the original sin committed by you Ailantians……!』
“That was all a misunderstanding. The setting was updated, remember?”
『What?』
Charles the rat instantly fell silent.
He probably did not understand the word “updated,” but he seemed to grasp the general meaning from my tone.
“……Still, you are right about one thing. If I swing this as it is, the blade will probably just snap.”
Which meant I needed a blunt weapon, not a blade.
For an outer shell that hard, smashing it with something heavy and blunt would be far more effective.
SHING—
I sheathed the Hero’s Longsword again.
Then……
Where could I find a suitable weapon?
Fortunately, the groggy state caused by the cold seemed to last quite a while.
I turned and looked around.
‘The sword belonging to the Imperial Knight Aileen burned to death is completely ruined.’
I also scanned the new Rom Federation character who had knocked herself unconscious in the corner.
Let me see……
Hecate only had a dagger, so that was useless.
And the equipment belonging to the useless Achilles, who was hovering near death because of his ankle injury, was a relatively short gladius.
That was not what I wanted either.
‘Hm?’
At that moment, I spotted a gleaming sword among the blood-soaked chunks of flesh.
‘Right. There was still the weapon belonging to the Imperial Knight who failed the WASD dodge and died to the first hit!’
SHING!
I immediately pulled the sword from the mangled flesh.
It was a longsword with a thick pommel and a sturdy crossguard.
The scabbard was firmly buried in the crushed remains, and I had no desire to dig through them with my own hands, so I simply left it there.
‘……Did medieval knights not grab the blade with their hands and use the pommel and crossguard like a blunt weapon when fighting heavily armored opponents?’
I immediately flipped the sword around and wrapped my left hand around the blade.
‘As long as I hold it properly so the edge does not cut my palm, it should be fine.’
I positioned my fingers carefully with my right hand as well.
Somehow, I managed to hold the longsword upside down without cutting myself on the edge.
The so-called murder stroke.
Grabbing the blade with your hands!
“Setanta……?”
“Ah, this is a legitimate sword technique.”
“……?”
“I am serious.”
He probably did not know because he had spent all his time in the Mage Tower.
In any case, holding the longsword upside down, I brought it down with all my strength onto the spider’s rock-solid frozen head.
CLAAANG!
Instead of the blade, the hard, rounded pommel smashed straight into the center of the spider’s head.
KIIIIING—!
The blade attached to the hilt trembled violently and rang out.
‘Hmm…….’
My palm hurt a little.
Was I holding it incorrectly?
Whatever.
One more strike.
CLAAANG!
After several more blows, cracks finally began spreading outward across the spider’s head.
[By discovering a new way to use your weapon, the proficiency of 【Lesser Swordsmanship】 increases significantly!]
Oh?
Even my proficiency increased significantly.
Then one more!
……CLAAANG!
[Due to increased proficiency, 【Lesser Swordsmanship】 advances by one stage!]
【Lesser Swordsmanship】 ▶ 【Intermediate Swordsmanship】
‘Oh, the skill ranked up.’
In an instant, the way my hands gripped the blade subtly changed.
The pressure from my fingers and palms balanced perfectly, supporting the blade without allowing the edge to cut into my skin.
‘Is this because the skill improved?’
Good.
One more time!
Once again, I swung the reversed longsword and smashed it down onto the spider’s head.
……CLAAAAANG!
[Your level increases.]
[The Labyrinth Boss has died!]
CRACK, CRUMBLE—
At last, the spider’s head shattered.
‘Whew. Finally killed it.’
My level had gone up too.
And the boss was finally dead.
……DING!
[You have fulfilled a hidden condition. The Labyrinth exit will not be created!]
I did not know what the hidden condition was, but apparently I had fulfilled one and triggered a hidden item drop……!
……Drop?
Hm?
[You have fulfilled a hidden condition. The Labyrinth exit will not be created!]
Huh?
[The Archmage’s Soul is greatly satisfied with your performance!]
What does that mean?
CRRRRUNCH—
At that moment, the stone walls and floor of the Boss Room began swelling and distorting.
Like the inside of some enormous organ.
[The Archmage’s Soul wishes to accept you as their eternal teaching assistant!]
‘Eternal teaching assistant……?’
Wait.
Do not tell me……
Is this the red bean tea ending……?
“U-Uhhhhhh……! AAAAAAAAGH—!”
[Imperial Knight James’s Mental State deteriorates!]
James’s crazed, water-deer-like shriek tore past my ears.
Every part of the Labyrinth, from ceiling to floor, was heaving and pulsing.
It looked like a hideous nightmare.
[The Archmage’s Soul covets you!]
[The Archmage’s Soul wishes to accept you as their eternal teaching assistant…….]
This is insane……!
‘Why will this damned Labyrinth not let us out after I killed the boss?!’
According to the progression of the original game, the moment the boss died, an exit should have appeared inside the Labyrinth.
Then a priest could be summoned to seal the Labyrinth, finally delaying the Crimson Corruption.
……That was how Chapter 1 was supposed to end, with the Labyrinth cleared.
‘But there is no exit. Are you kidding me?’
DING!
[The Checklist has been updated.]
[Hidden Route Progress: 8.9%]
-(New!) 『Destroy the Archmage’s First Soul Fragment』
“……!”
A new Checklist suddenly appeared before my eyes.
‘Destroy the soul fragment?’
Wait.
Could it be?
In an instant, all the pieces seemed to connect like a current running through my mind.
‘Rian said the guardian magic the Archmage created by splitting apart their own soul a thousand years ago…… is the true cause of the Crimson Corruption.’
Then what if I destroyed every one of the Archmage’s soul fragments during this run?
The Crimson Corruption consuming this world would eventually disappear as well.
……And perhaps I could finally reach a genuine happy ending.
“S-Setanta! The flow of mana inside the Labyrinth is strange! It feels as though the entire place is trying to swallow us whole……!”
“Aaagh! AAAAAAAAGH! AAAAGH!”
[Imperial Knight James’s Mental State has reached its limit!]
“Knight of the Empire! If you do not shut that mouth immediately, I shall make sure you can never open it again!”
“A-Aileen……! This is not the time for that! Setanta, what are we supposed to do now……?!”
“AAAAAAGH! AAAAAAAAAAGH—!”
James’s deranged, water-deer-like screaming threatened to tear my eardrums apart.
The crimson walls writhed like entrails, drawing steadily closer to me with every passing moment.
We truly did not have much time left.
‘……If I destroy the Archmage’s soul fragment, we can escape this Labyrinth.’
But how?
How was I supposed to destroy the soul of some senile old Archmage?
Did a soul even have a physical form in the first place?
DING!
[Become One!]
At that moment.
Red system messages began rapidly appearing across my vision.
DING! DING! DING!
[Become One!]
[Become One!]
[Become one with a great soul…….]
‘I thought this thing had finally quieted down lately, and now this insane crimson system window is back again……!’
But through the countless red messages obscuring my vision……
I caught a glimpse of something flickering.
Something shaped like a red figure.
‘What is that?’
Something was writhing beside the corpse of the giant spider whose head I had shattered.
Something that looked like a mass of tangled red hair……
Something that twisted and squirmed without pause.
“Everyone, has that red thing writhing over there been there this entire time?”
“W-What are you talking about? There is nothing there but the spider’s corpse! Setanta, more importantly, what are we supposed to do now……?!”
‘Can I be the only one who sees it? Is that crimson thing the Archmage’s soul fragment?’
Then the moment the boss died……
it had been expelled?
The soul fragment of the Archmage that had been sustaining this Labyrinth?
DING!
At that exact moment, a blue system window appeared beside the red ones.
[TIP – Only a being who does not belong to this world can fundamentally destroy the Archmage’s Soul.]
‘Only someone who does not belong to this world…… can eliminate that thing?’
Someone who was not born in this world?
An outsider?
An invasive species?
A foreign worker?
……Then that is me, is it not?